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Karlheinz Förster
Personal information
Date of birth (1958-07-25) 25 July 1958 (age 66)
Place of birth Mosbach, West Germany
Height 1.78 m
Playing position Centre-back
Youth career
Badenia Unterschwarzach
Waldhof Mannheim
0000–1977 VfB Stuttgart
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1977–1986 VfB Stuttgart 311 (22)
1986–1990 Marseille 103 (6)
Total 414 (28)
National team
1976–1978 West Germany Amateur 4 (0)
1978 West Germany B 2 (0)
1978–1986 West Germany 81 (2)
Honours
  • Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

Karlheinz Helmut Förster (born July 25, 1958) is a German former professional football player. He played as a central defender, which is a player who helps protect the goal. He was known for being one of the world's best at "man-marking," meaning he was great at closely guarding an opposing player to stop them from scoring.

Karlheinz played most of his career for VfB Stuttgart alongside his older brother, Bernd Förster, who was also a defender. Both brothers achieved great success together. They were part of the West German national team that won the UEFA European Championship in 1980.

Playing for Clubs: Karlheinz Förster's Journey

Karlheinz Förster began his professional football career at VfB Stuttgart. This was his only club in the top German league, the Bundesliga. He played a big part in helping his team get promoted to the Bundesliga in 1977. He even scored five goals in 34 games during that season.

Once in the top league, Förster almost always played in every game. He often teamed up with his brother Bernd in the defense. Both brothers were key players when VfB Stuttgart won the league title in the 1983–84 season. Karlheinz left the club in 1986, after playing more than 300 official matches.

After leaving Stuttgart, he moved to France to play for Olympique de Marseille. The club paid 3.5 million Deutsche Mark (which was the German currency at the time) for him.

In his third year with Marseille, in the 1988–89 season, he helped the team win the French league title and the French Cup. This is called winning "the double." Karlheinz Förster retired from playing football when he was almost 32 years old. After retiring, he became an agent for other football players.

Playing for His Country: West Germany

Karlheinz Förster played his first game for the West Germany national football team on April 5, 1978. He was not yet 20 years old when he played in a friendly match against Brazil. From that point on, he became a regular starter for the national team.

He played in every match during the 1980 European Championship, which West Germany won. In the final game, he was very effective at stopping Belgium's star player, Jan Ceulemans.

Förster also played in every minute of the 1982 FIFA World Cup. West Germany finished as runners-up in that tournament. Karlheinz and his brother Bernd became the first brothers in German football history to play in a World Cup final since the Walter brothers in 1954. However, unlike the Walters, the Förster brothers' team lost the final.

Karlheinz Förster continued to play for his country in the UEFA Euro 1984 and the 1986 World Cup. In the 1986 World Cup in Mexico, West Germany again finished second, losing to Argentina in the final. During this tournament, Förster was excellent at man-marking. He successfully stopped Mexico's Hugo Sánchez in the quarterfinals and Michel Platini of France in the semifinals.

Achievements and Awards

Karlheinz Förster won many important titles and awards during his football career:

With VfB Stuttgart

With Olympique de Marseille

With West Germany National Team

Individual Awards

  • kicker Bundesliga Team of the Season: 1977–78, 1983–84
  • Onze Mondial (French Footballer of the Year award): 1980, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
  • UEFA European Championship Team of the Tournament: 1980, 1984
  • FIFA World Cup All-Star Team: 1986
  • Footballer of the Year (Germany): 1982

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Karlheinz Förster para niños

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